Chihiro no Kokoro
by Chiaki-Maeko-Kodamas
Summary: The story of a girl, a princess, a warrior, a spirit, an enchanted kingdom, a bathhouse, a witch, a boy, and how they are all connected in a complicated plot to save an endangered tribe from extinction.
1. Densetsu

A/n: It is important for the reader to understand that this takes place in the middle of the story of Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, soon after Chihiro has become Sen and has been assigned to Lin. I thought I'd spare you the boringness of reading my recitation of Miyazaki's genius so I commenced writing there. Also, I'm not a review nazi, but I love suggestions and criticisms; if you see anything blatantly incorrect (which you will), tell me NICELY. Remember, though, that this is not meant to be like the film; Miyazaki's masterpiece is my theme, this is simply a variation. :o) Enjoy.  
  
Disclaimer: Stealing is bad, mm'kay? None of it's mine.  
  
Chihiro no kokoro  
  
Chapter One: Densetsu  
  
Lin reached up with a long arm into the cabinet that stored the official uniforms of the bathhouse employees. She pulled out a blue shirt and held it to the little girl's chest. It hung like an extra skin over her knees.  
  
"Nuh uh," she muttered, throwing it aside.  
  
Sen watched her rummage deeper into the cabinet, almost seeming to disappear within the piles of clothing. Sen, standing next to her in the large room, felt a little nauseous, a little tired, and very scared; the paper walls moved with the winds outside and made her nervous, like the building would come crashing in on her. At last, Lin pulled an appropriately sized garment from the cabinet and tossed it to her, almost knocking her over into a girl sleeping on the floor next to her bare feet. The yuna made a slight sound and turned over. The two exchanged glances and the older girl beckoned for the younger to follow. Lin tiptoed down the floor away from those sleeping and slid open a large rice paper shoji to reveal a startling ocean view. The green-tinted water covered the area she'd walked across that very day. The train tracks lay under at least an inch or two of water.  
  
Sen almost gasped, but followed Lin outside. The slight breeze tossed her hair into her brown eyes, blocking her view. She tucked a large strand behind her ear and seated herself beside Lin on the balcony, legs hanging hazardously over the shining waters. Dark had clearly fallen on the realm of spirits; the night sky was lined with so many stars that she could never have seen back home. Sen wondered if they were even the same stars, watching a large fallen one shoot across the blackness. She could see the great bridge that separated the bathhouse from the marketplace, and the red lights glowing; the kasuga-sama stirring in the evening, arriving into Aburaya by boatload. Their colourful masks and red cloaks stuck out like headlights in the dark.  
  
"How did you come to be here, Lin?" Sen asked timidly, still studying all that she could see of the world. Lin sighed, pulling a bit of bread from her pocket, halving it, and handing a piece to her young friend.  
  
"It is a long story," she said.  
  
Sen stared again across the waters, searching for something that she, at this time, could not quite place.  
  
"We have time, I'm sure."  
  
Lin tossed her long hair into the wind as if reassuring herself that she possessed the courage to speak of her past. She breathed out, then in.  
  
"I was born in a land called the Realm of the Wind," she began. "The spirit of the wind is our god, our protector." A misty look glazed over the young woman's eyes. "I miss the times where I would glide upon the wing of the wind, upon the gentle surf of the air," she trailed, looking over at Sen. "I'll bet you've never flown." She turned her face towards the sky, searching for the words to make the little girl understand. She found none. "It's indescribable," she said. "Like nothing else." Lin nibbled absently on her bread, continuing on her train of thought. "My mother was a witch, the medicine woman of our village. She was a good one too." Lin claimed pridefully. The pride quickly faded to sadness. "It's only a shame that she couldn't save herself or my father."  
  
Sen, chewing numbly, studied the young woman next to her and swallowed. Her silky brown hair whipped around her sharp-featured face, which seemed softer than they had been. She'd seemed so caustic before; yet, she was so gently spirited, so overwhelmingly good.Sen was touched by her openness. She lay back on the tiled balcony and listened to the sound of the waves below her.  
  
"My father was a warrior. Our village, a small one, was always being pillaged by a larger tribe. We had to fight back. My father traveled into the West with our army. He came back, but he was never the same. We were told that they had been attacked by demons and that my father had tried to fend one off." She paused. "He had saved the rest of the men, but it seemed as if there was something not quite him hiding within his skin. One night, when it was dark, he left our home out the back gate." Lin paused painfully. "And never returned." She continued in a stronger tone. "I grew up without a father. A year later, however, my mother began to act strangely, making strange potions late at night in vain attempts to bring him back, using herbal remedies, powerful mahou, runes, and tea leaves. I've never known exactly what happened that night," Lin said, wiping her eye with the oversized sleeve of her uniform, "but they carried her body off the next morning and buried her under the Bridge of the Eternal Winds."  
  
The girl paused, letting her long hair fall into her face, sniffling slightly, but staying strong.  
  
"Orphans from this world are sent to work, to pay for their own existence. I only had to ask in order to attain a job, of course." She smiled. "Yu- baaba's weakness." Her face became serious again. "And I was good at it, and I still am good at it," Lin said, looking up. "Look down there," said Lin suddenly, startling Sen. "The train is passing through."  
  
Sen watched the train skim the waters below. The machine almost seemed to glide over the oceans below it.  
  
"I'm going to get on that train one day," Lin murmured, watching it wistfully. A trail of steam from the train's pipes drifted up into the night sky, lazily wafting above the bridge like a spell. "Once I remember . . ."  
  
And there was a silence. Sen didn't dare to say anything in fear of saying something wrong. Tears began to run down her cheeks as she thought of her parents down there in that city. Her eyes fell onto the animal pens within which they slept tonight. She looked below her at her bare feet, at the height of the building, down at the stairwell she'd fallen into upon arrival.I wonder where he is tonight, she thought. I wonder what he's doing, what his mission is. But Sen didn't say anything out loud. The two simply sat watching the train descend beneath the bridge in a silent understanding.  
  
*.¸¸.·´¨`»*«´¨`·. ¸¸.*.¸¸.·´¨`»*«´¨`·. ¸¸.*.¸¸.·´¨`»*«´¨`·. ¸¸.*.¸¸.·´¨`»*«´¨`·. ¸¸.*  
  
Sen tossed and turned all night. She'd been away to summer camp and to her grandparents' house overnight, but being in a completely different realm was enough to make anyone a little restless. The girl finally drifted off, though, very late in the night. She dreamed that her parents were being eaten by a giant dragon. She called out to them and tried to save them, but every time she got close to them, she would turn into a pig. Sen woke before anyone else did, breathing heavily into her blankets. She looked to her left and saw Lin sound asleep on her tatamee. She breathed in, relieved that her dream was not a reality and rolled over, ignoring the nagging feeling of homesickness she'd been feeling since her arrival, drifting into sleep.  
  
Mornings at Aburaya were frantic. Employees awoke at sunrise, donning their work attire and heading to the foreman, asking for their daily assignments. Sen was, of course, the last to rise. Lin had shaken her shoulder twice and called her three times before she finally gave in and tossed the comb she was currently using in her hair at her young apprentice's sleeping form. Sen cried out, waking, and retrieved the comb from the floor beside her.  
  
"What's the big idea-" she began to say, but stopped, studying the object in her hand. A strange design that resembled a pair of delicate gilded wings wound up the handle. "This is really beautiful, Lin." Sen extended her arm upwards, offering her the fragile golden comb.  
  
Lin nodded, taking it back, slipping it up into her hair.  
  
"It was a gift."  
  
Sen was about to ask more about it, but was interrupted by the call of the foreman from the other room.  
  
"LIN!" he yelled. "Get in here right now! You've got work to do."  
  
Lin threw down her blanket, grabbing Sen, who was thankful she'd slept in her clothes, by her hand and dragging her from her sleeping place.  
  
"Come on! We're gonna get in trouble."  
  
When they had both managed to scramble up to Chihiyaku's desk, he was already busy greeting a large disgusting creature with four heads and an extremely pungent odor. Sen fought herself not to pinch her nose.  
  
"Ah! The Spirit of the Date!" he exclaimed with an excess of faux enthusiasm. "Tan, Woku!" he beckoned to two other Aogaeru. "Take our guest to the baths."  
  
The two nodded and began to help the beast, each of its four heads now arguing with the others, to decide which way to go. When the spirit was sufficiently out of sight, the foreman glowered at Lin and her young apprentice.  
  
"It's about time," he sneered. "Our only assignment left for today is to run errands for the kitchen."  
  
Lin moaned and stamped her bare foot on the tile floor of the bathhouse.  
  
"No!" she whimpered. "I'd rather scrub every tub in this place than have to talk to Chef Mitaka!"  
  
The foreman shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips.  
  
"It's what you get for being late," he said, returning to scribbling in his record books. Lin grumbled a little, but didn't argue, motioning for a generally shaky Sen to follow her through the many hallways of the bathhouse.  
  
The child stayed at Lin's heels, peeking through every doorway. There were big spirits with horns and tusks, oversized ears like elephants and tremendous smelly feet like ogres; and there were small spirits with tough green skin, golden skin like spun silk, thousands of little beady eyes, and arms that moved like a spider's. The little girl only shuddered quietly and ran to keep up.  
  
The kitchens were dark, lit only by the shaking flame of a single candle hanging from a lanternpost in the doorway. Sen shuddered. Whoever this Chef was, he obviously did not mean to be seen. Sen noticed Lin's usually steady hands trembling slightly as she walked one bare foot after another.  
  
"Hello?" Lin called quietly, in a shaky voice. "Chef Mitaka?"  
  
There was a clattering of pots from another dark corner of the kitchen. A low choppy voice spoke, echoing in the emptiness of the room.  
  
"It's about time," he growled, crawling out from behind the counter. Sen gasped, clinging to the loose cloth of Lin's uniform. Before them stood a giant creature which resembled a praying mantis in a chefs' hat. "I was beginning to think no one would come," he said. "I have a list of errands I need you to run in the market place." Chef Mitaka picked a small piece of parchment from the table with a clawed praying hand and held it out to Sen to take. The little girl emitted a high-pitched squeaking sound. Lin kicked her lightly with her bare foot.  
  
"Take it from him," she hissed. Sen squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed the parchment from the monstrous man.  
  
"Thank you, Chef Mitaka," she said quickly, backing out the door, "sir." Lin bowed hastily and followed her.  
  
Sen ran down the hall and collapsed against the wall by the nearest bath where a yuna was filling a bath for a golden beast with the head of a dragon and body of a lion. She pulled the lever to stop the water flow and the beast roared in joy. Lin caught up to her, laughing.  
  
"Chef Mitaka may need a bit of explanation," she said, beckoning for Sen to follow. "He was once a religious man, living as a monk in a monastery on the other side."  
  
Sen frowned at the mention of her world as 'the other side.' It only reminded her how far away she was from it and how she might never see it again. Sen struggled to catch up to Lin, who was pushing open a pair of large golden doors that lead to the bridge where Haku had made her hold her breath. The little girl shivered at the thought of the boy who had helped her, at how cold he had been, as if he hadn't known her.  
  
Lin continued her story as they walked.  
  
"He crossed the barrier from Ningenkai into Majou no Sekai one day while he was trying to find a place to meditate," she paused to look at Sen, eyes knowing, "much like you did."  
  
At this point, the two were passing the guards of the bathhouse, including the one who had seen her that day on the bridge. He gawked at her as she passed, his frog jaw jutted out and hung near the ground; however, he was not the only one staring. She could hear people whispering, stepping past her on the bridge, making sure not to touch her.  
  
She clung to Lin, who did not seem aware of those staring at her friend, and listened. "He was in disbelief at finding a world which so defied his religious beliefs, so he abandoned his faith and descended into a state of hatred as an evil spirit, destroying everything and everyone he saw. Yubaba was so angry that he was driving away customers that she transformed him into a giant praying mantis."  
  
Lin smiled halfway, chuckling. "Whoever said Yubaaba had no sense of humour was mistaken, ne?" She nodded to a girl who passed them carrying a basket of strange-looking vegetables. Lin turned back to Sen. "Ever since, he's been working in the kitchens, letting out his anger on carrots and radishes," she said, "hand me that list, will ya?" Sen obeyed, keeping to herself as people continued to stare and pinch together their noses as they passed her.  
  
Lin knocked her in the shoulder.  
  
"Are you listening, kid?" she asked. Sen nodded impulsively and Lin rolled her eyes in response. "You're going to need to pick some Yuki berries from the gardens," she said. Her apprentice's face wrinkled in confusion. Lin sighed impatiently. "Go right until you reach the stand where the woman with cat ears is selling flowers, then go right again until you reach a large sign which says 'Garden of the Spirits.' Go inside and find the blue weeds with white berries. Pick enough to fill this basket." Lin shoved a small tightly woven basket into the young girl's hands. "I'll get the rest of this stuff and meet you back here." Sen nodded, trying to sort through the information in her head.  
  
She watched Lin disappear into the crowds of strange creatures, then she turned around and walked the other way. She passed colourful stands with colourful creatures selling colourful things she'd never seen before. She recalled a book she'd read when she was younger. She felt like Alice right now, through the looking glass and quite confused. But, instead of a white rabbit, she meant to seek out a way to get her parents back. The girl hung her head, dropping her arms to her side. She missed them so much; it was like having a constant lump buried deep within her stomach. She fought back the tears she felt coming and continued right until she reached the woman with cat ears, who offered her a strange looking flower with a big cat's head. Curiouser and curiouser. When Sen refused the tiger lily as politely as possible, it began to hiss at her. Startled, the little girl walked so quickly in the other direction that she ran right into someone.  
  
"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed loudly. "I didn't see you! Please forgive me!"  
  
The stranger dusted himself off and got to his feet. Sen gasped. The boy stared straight through her with his penetrating green eyes and extended a hand to her. She took it and pulled herself up, a look of horror on her small face.  
  
"It's all right," said Haku, his eyes almost amused. "I should have been paying better attention anyway." He pointed to her basket. "Are you on an errand?" he asked her. Sen stared at him for a short moment. Last night, he'd been so cruel; how could he have changed so quickly?  
  
"For Chef Mitaka, picking Yuki berries."  
  
He looked at her with an unreadable expression.  
  
"You can't have seen them before."  
  
Sen nodded in agreement.  
  
"Come on," he said, leading her toward a large fenced area that was, as Lin had promised, marked by a sign that said 'Garden of the Spirits.'  
  
And it was beautiful, worthy of any spirit. Bonsai trees decorated the pathways and small footbridges were built over cascading waterfalls. Haku helped Sen to cross the bridge into the gardens and motioned for her to follow. Dragonflies buzzed around Sen and Haku like guides, flickering their long serpentine tongues and teasing them by blowing flickering flames at them. He caught a glimpse of her as she ran ahead of him to look at something else that amused her, brown hair swaying as she walked, white ribbons of her uniform catching the breeze.  
  
Haku still wasn't quite sure what to think of this girl. Humans did not normally wander into the barriers of Majou no Sekai; it was the sort of place that was unseen by the human eye, any normal human would have walked right past it. He had always believed that fate had quite a bit to do with people ending up in his world. He watched her walk along the path, studying the rare plants that were obviously new to her. But what's her purpose being here? What's she meant to do?  
  
Haku finally spotted what they had been looking for, grabbing Sen by her thin wrist and dragging her to a large plant with blue leaves. She was startled a bit by his touch, but did not say anything. The Yuki berries were pale and colourless, like snow. Haku sat beside the tree and began to pick them methodically. Sen tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear and knelt to help him. After picking a few berries, she turned to him.  
  
"Would you mind if I asked you a personal question?"  
  
He stopped picking for a moment, eyes focused at the ground.  
  
"It really depends on what you'd like to know," was all he said. Then Haku looked at her, green eyes curious. "Ask if you like."  
  
Sen shifted her weight onto her back legs, settling herself in the grass.  
  
"It seems like.everyone here is here because they've been forced into this life," she began in a meager voice. "Why are you here, Haku?"  
  
His eyes seemed to darken a little as he turned to face her. She shivered a little, taken aback. Those eyes, she thought, they can't be human. No, too beautiful, too jade to be human.  
  
" I have been Yubaaba's servant for a little under a year," he said. "I don't remember what happened or why I was thrown into this realm, but the old witch claims that I wandered into her office one day, begging for a home and a job. " He laughed sardonically. "She said that I was pathetic and thin, like a skeleton, emaciated, malnutritioned, and that . . ."  
  
Haku's voice trailed off and he lowered his head, allowing his black hair to fall into his eyes.  
  
"That I didn't remember where I'd come from."  
  
Haku stared off at something in the distance.  
  
"Or who I was."  
  
The little girl furrowed her brow. There was something about seeing him in pain that really didn't settle well with her. Maybe it was because he'd taken care of her so well, or perhaps because he spoke to her so kindly. She scooted closer to him and put her hand in his shoulder, comforting.  
  
He looked into her eyes suddenly, catching her off guard. He didn't need to say anything to let her know he was grateful. Haku wasn't accustomed to physical contact, but with her it didn't feel so strange. His muscles, tensed before, relaxed. There was a gentle rumbling in the distance, and they both looked up. The pearly glow of the clouds had faded and left the dull shine of smudged pencil.  
  
"Better keep picking," he said. "Before it starts to rain."  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Right."  
  
They continued to pluck berries from the vine meticulously. Upon seeing that the basket was full, Haku rolled onto his back, feeling the warmth of the sun on his pale face. He felt as if he could forget everything . . . then he remembered something.  
  
"Oh," he said suddenly, turning back to the girl who was watching the clouds with a fascination. "I have your clothes for you." He handed her a bundle of her clothing, which she took, looking appreciatively at him.  
  
"I thought they were gone forever." She smiled warmly. "Thanks."  
  
She shouldn't be so grateful to me, he thought guiltily. He had been planning to take her to see her parents at the animal pens, but he knew it would only upset her not to be able to tell which swine they were. He studied her. A girl so lost, in such a hopeless situation shouldn't be as strong as she is. But . . . there she is. Sen was now staring down the small piece of paper she'd discovered from one of the pockets of her clothing.  
  
"Chihiro," she pronounced delicately, as if enunciating some foreign language. "That was my name, wasn't it?" She stared right through him with her cocoa brown eyes. He nodded, taking the card from her and studying it himself. "I can't believe I almost forgot it." Her voice trailed off.  
  
"Yubaaba controls us by stealing our names." He handed it back to her. "Keep it with you and don't forget or you'll never be able to return."  
  
Haku noticed that she was staring into him with those eyes again.  
  
"Do you remember yours?" she asked him. "Your name, I mean."  
  
He shook his head sadly.  
  
"No, but I remember yours, Chihiro."  
  
She shivered a little, looking away from him.  
  
"How can that be?" she asked, still holding her card as if it were a lost treasure. Haku sighed, a half smile playing on his lips.  
  
"I don't know why, but I remember you from when you were very young, just a little girl. I know that, if I could remember where I knew you from, I could remember my own name," he said sadly. He noticed the storm clouds again, hiding the sun, smothering its light. "But, for now, I must go."  
  
Chihiro looked as if she'd love to protest, but didn't say anything. He rose and began to walk deeper into the garden. As she watched him go, she called out to him.  
  
"Thank you, Haku."  
  
He turned around and bowed solemnly, then continued on until disappearing over a footbridge. Chihiro took her clothes and the basket, and began to walk back to the garden's entrance. Before she walked out into the marketplace, she stared up into the sky and gasped.  
  
"A dragon."  
  
Sure enough, a beautiful beast with majestic snow-coloured scales and a long winding tail was soaring across the sky into the horizon. She watched it take wing across the blue, weaving in and out of clouds like leviathan of the sea. Though she had never seen a dragon before and was completely confounded, she knew that it was probably not an unusual occurrence within this realm. Chihiro sighed, turning back, and continued on her way.  
  
She walked back past all the people in the market place. There were creatures that looked almost human in the crowds, with brown hair and creased eyes, going about their lives as if it were any other marketplace in Japan. She turned her head to look at a stand selling loaves of wonderful smelling bread. When she looked back, she realized that she'd veered from her path. The girl kept herself from panicking by thinking rational thoughts, which was difficult considering where she was and how completely absurd everything here was. Lin will not leave without me, she reassured herself. I have nothing to worry about. I'll just ask someone for directions. She turned around in a circle and became aware that she felt like she was being watched. Chihiro shivered a little and walked back toward the bread stand.  
  
"Excuse me?" she called loudly, standing on her toes before the owner, a large beast with skin like bread crust and eyes like raisins. He did not look up from rolling dough on the counter. "Sir?" she called again. The man turned his massive head and stared down at her with his raisin eyes. She gulped hard. "I was wondering, sir, if you knew the way to the bathhouse."  
  
The giant man opened his large mouth and sprayed Sen with sesame seeds as he spoke.  
  
"A human, you are," he said plainly. "What brings a human to the world of Majou no Sekai?"  
  
Sen struggled to find words.  
  
"I am lost in this marketplace," Sen said. "I work at the bathhouse and I need to find my way home."  
  
The creature seemed to think for a moment, pounding his rolling pin absently on the counter.  
  
"Dangerous spirits, there lurk. Evil, greed, immorality." With each of these words, he pounded the rolling pin harder. "The witch who rules over Aburaya will steal your soul, imprison you." His bowl of sesame seeds shook from the force of this last pound of the pin.  
  
Sen stared into the ground, realizing that she had already begun to forget her own name.  
  
"I am afraid it is too late for me, sir."  
  
He nodded.  
  
"You are a long way from the bathhouse. I will send my servant to take you there."  
  
The baker made a gesture with his hand and pointed behind her. Sen gasped and backed away from the creature now standing on the paved road next to her. He was completely black except for a mask-like structure that resembled the disguises of Noh actors resting above his mouth; it was the very same creature that she had seen while crossing the bridge with Haku the day before. His body was lucid like fine silk, seeming to shift at his movements.  
  
The baker saw how she reacted to this strange beast.  
  
"I assure you that he is harmless now, young one." He arched a crusty eyebrow at her. "I warn you, though. Kaonashi posseses many strange abilities that may surprise you at times. Very potent mahou rests within his skin."  
  
Sen nodded to him, keeping one eye on the black creature.  
  
"Thank you, sir." Sen bowed low.  
  
The baker bowed to her and waved as she walked away, Kaonashi following her closely. They had only gone a few steps before Sen looked back at Kaonashi, who cowered behind her.  
  
"You're supposed to be leading me, you know," she said. Kaonashi did not make a sound, but he began to disappear bit by bit, as if he were evaporating. "No!" the girl shouted, running back toward him. But he was gone. Sen looked all around her frantically before noticing him up ahead, looking at her expectantly. She blinked twice; he was still there.  
  
"Hmm . . . "  
  
Kaonashi began to move smoothly across the pavement. Sen's only instincts told her to follow. She began to notice how people seemed not to notice him gliding past them like a ghost among the crowds. What was this creature? She ran to catch up. After walking for what seemed like hours, Sen began to notice stands that looked familiar.  
  
"Stop," she said to Kaonashi, who looked at her in a dubious way, but obeyed. She lifted herself upon her toes and squinted, searching above the crowd. "Lin!" she cried, waving her arms like a drowning victim. Lin had been pacing back and forth in front of the bridge, chewing her hair and swinging her bag of groceries back and forth. Sen was so happy she thought she might burst into tears.  
  
Lin looked as if she shared the sentiment . . . minus the happy part.  
  
"You little dope! " she cried. "I was so worried! You don't even know how long I've been standing-" Lin paused, noticing the black figure hovering over them. She let out a diminutive shriek. "What's that?" she whispered, her eyes locked on Kaonashi.  
  
Sen laughed; Kaonashi seemed to bristle, gazing at Lin through his mask.  
  
"He was the one who helped me find my way back, Lin. He's nothing to be afraid of."  
  
Kaonashi looked pleased at this praise, but still kept his distance from the older girl. Lin, however, didn't seem so sure. She kept one eye on him as she led Sen back toward the bridge.  
  
"Come on, kid! Chihiyaku'll have my HEAD for this."  
  
Sen waved at Kaonashi with the hand that wasn't being pulled by Lin.  
  
"Thank you for all your help," she cried, running to catch up with her older friend. "I'll see you! Bye!"  
  
Kaonashi stood dolefully next to a yaki soba stand as he watched Sen's retreating back, as she waved madly at him from the bridge.  
  
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When Lin and Sen returned to the kitchens, Chef Mitaka was slicing sashimi angrily with his scythe-like hands. His upper lip curled upon perceiving their presence. Lin set the groceries and the basket gingerly onto the counter, keeping as far as possible from the monstrous man.  
  
"Do you have anything else for us to do?" she asked, willing him with her mind to say no.  
  
He leered, pausing and rubbing together his claws as if sharpening them. Sen looked away, listening to the horrifying sound, like clashing knives.  
  
"You could take these dishes to Kamajii," he grunted, pushing forward a tray overflowing with good-smelling foods. Lin's brown eyes bulged at the four roasted salamanders resting peacefully on a lettuce leaf in a bowl of noodles.  
  
"And take this to feed the susuwatari," rumbled Chef Mitaka, thrusting a tin of Kompeitou into Sen's empty hands. Lin shot her a look that told her not to express her disgust until they were out of the sight of the praying mantis bakemono.  
  
The two girls descended into the lower floors of the bathhouse, passing frogs mopping up messes and slug spirits who gave Sen cold glances, until finally reaching a last set of stairs leading down to a large iron door.  
  
"After you," said Lin, gesturing for Sen to climb downward into the boiler room, handing her the tray. The lowest room of the bathhouse was sweltering, just as Sen remembered it being the night before. The door creaked as it opened and Kamajii did not bother to look up to see who it was. He simply reached a long spider-like limb to the little girl's face.  
  
"Go on now," he said, going about his normal business with all of the rest of his arms. "Don't be shy now, kodomo."  
  
She held it out to his waiting hand, he took it, and immediately began to use his chopsticks to put away his udon, slurping like a messy child. Lin rolled her eyes and took a handful of kompeitou from the tin, tossing it into the pit at their feet. At this point, the soot-sprites became very excited, dropping their lumps of coal and chirping like mad. Sen kneeled, flinging a few more candies to them as they frenzied around her ankles. One susuwatari looked up at Sen with familiar eyes, peeping elatedly. A group of them retreated back to the holes in which they lived.  
  
"Wait," Sen whimpered after them, stepping forward to catch the balls of soot. "Come back."  
  
And they did, carrying a familiar pair of yellow sneakers with them.  
  
"My shoes!" cried Sen, delighted. The sprites twittered affectionately at her as the girl placed her shoes in a put away corner on top of the clothes Haku had returned to her. She was startled by a hand on her shoulder. After a moment, she realized that it was one Kamajii's, attached to a very long arm.  
  
"I had a visitor looking for you earlier, kodomo," said the spider spirit, not bothering to look up.  
  
"Oh?" Sen furrowed her brows and turned around. At this point, she noticed that Lin was nowhere to be seen. She must have gone back to the kitchens, Sen thought to herself.  
  
"Yes," replied Kamajii, pouring himself a cup of hot tea. "Very fushigi, mysterious; it was a young man, older than you. He wore a cloak like one of the tribal people of the Kaze Realm or the Yi Kingdom; he had unusual marks upon his face, ancient characters that I could not translate."  
  
Sen looked up at the spider spirit, eyes unsure.  
  
"The Kaze realm?" she repeated in an inquiring tone, "the Yi Kingdom?"  
  
"The realm of the sky," Kamajii explained. "The Sora tribes, the sky people, were the main clan of the Kingdom of Kaze. Their neighbors to the west, who are believed to have originated from the Land of the Flame, crossed over their boundaries, taking their sacred land. These people of the flame, the Yi, who the Sora referred to as youma, youkai, demons . . . conquered the Kaze people, murdering their warriors and enslaving them."  
  
Kamajii paused, depositing a soak token into its appropriate place in the wall. Sen was overcome with trepidation, not moving a muscle as the boiler man took a sip of his tea and continued in a low drawling voice.  
  
"Legend has it that the Kamisama no Kaze, the wind god, was very angry and plunged the people of both realms into darkness. That is why these people are completely wiped out."  
  
Kamajii looked behind him at the young girl. She was seated on the boiler room's floor, biting her lip and watching the susuwatari struggling to haul their balls of soot to the boiler. Kamajii paused from his work momentarily, drank the last of his tea, and slurped up his remaining Udon.  
  
"Gochisousama!" he exclaimed, "finished!" He glanced back at Sen with the sullen look on her face.  
  
"Don't be afraid, chisana; his Ki (Chi) was pure. He asked for the girl who worked here who was neither yuna nor Aogaeru."  
  
She looked up at him with startled eyes.  
  
"Don't worry, I told him that no one working here fit that description. I was about to tell him to get lost, but when I turned back, he had gone."  
  
Sen paused for a moment, pulling herself up from the cold floor.  
  
"Thank you, Kamajii," she told him, collecting his tray and the remaining star candy, pulling closed the heavy door behind her.  
  
"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about, chisana," he called after her.  
  
Sen hadn't had a chance to turn around before she felt a cold hand clamp onto her shoulder. She gasped, dropping the tray to the hard ground at the foot of the stairs. The partially full teakettle crashed to the floor, spilling its contents onto the little girl's bare feet. She hand moved from her shoulder to her neck, while another clapped itself over her mouth in one swift motion.  
  
"Don't be afraid," said a male voice calmly. "I'm not going to hurt you; just be quiet."  
  
Sen stopped squirming and the hand loosened its grip, letting her go very gently. She whipped her head around and saw a pair of very dark eyes staring into hers. He was very tall, at least a few heads above Sen's, with the coal black hook of his cloak shading his face from the dim light.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked, flattening herself against the door, afraid to bend down to collect the fallen tray.  
  
The phantom stepped forward from the shadows. He lowered the hood of his cloak to reveal his face. His sharp features were tense; a solemn expression surmounted his small face.  
  
"My name is Kiyumeku," he said in his low voice, almost a whisper. There was something very familiar about the way he spoke that Sen could not quite place. He lunged forward suddenly and bowed at Sen's damp feet.  
  
"You must take my to Kimiko! I need her help!" he pleaded. His balled fists were resting in the puddle of upset tea.  
  
"It's okay," cried the little girl, kneeling to peel his sticky hands from the floor. He moved them, but did not get up.  
  
"Will you take me to Kimiko?" he asked. The look on his face was almost comically puzzled. His short hair stuck up in all directions, mussed from being hidden underneath his cloak.  
  
"Well," she strained, "I would take you to Kimiko . . . if I knew who that was."  
  
His handsome face fell. Then his voice became frantic.  
  
"But I saw her with you in the marketplace! She was carrying a bag of groceries and worrying about you!"  
  
Sen squinted at the man before her as he got to his feet, dusting himself off in a reserved manner.  
  
"Who are you, really? Where did you come from?"  
  
The man's eyes glinted with a sort of proudness.  
  
"I come from the land of the Kaze, from the Realm of the Wind."  
  
As if on cue, a breeze drifted through the small window beside him, playing with the tendrils of his hair, whipping his cloak around his thin form. He looked like a warrior with his shining eyes and determined expression.  
  
"What do you want with Lin?" Sen asked in a smaller voice, starting to pick up the disarray on the ground below them.  
  
Kiyumeku kneeled beside her and began to pile things back onto the tray, startling the little girl next to him.  
  
"I need her help; I need her to help me save the Sora." 


	2. Henshin

A/n: Um . . . what can I say? I don't really know whether or not to continue this because I don't think many people have read it yet . . . but I guess I'll just release this chapter and if I don't hear from anyone, I'll have mercy on you and stop. I'd also like to thank Kate for her review; I think it's rather amusing that she entered it on my screen name.anyone else who reviewed, you are also my heroes.  
  
Chihiro no Kokoro Chapter two: Henshin  
  
It was a very bright evening. Unusually bright, thought Haku, slipping between the thin paper doors of the bathhouse into the grass outside. He wasn't quite sure where he was going; often, he would slip out of his quarters at any unexpected time during the day or night without thought to what he was doing. Yu-baaba had strong manipulative abilities and he had no choice but to follow when he was summoned. He had awoken by a jolt in the night, though, with a slightly different feeling than usual. It felt like something was eating away at his stomach like a disease. His head turned sharply, hearing a crash from one of the lower floors. He listened, sharp ears open. Nothing. He expected to hear Yu-baaba's commanding voice calling him like a dog, but nothing came. He kneeled in the grass, feeling its wetness from the rain earlier. The boy sprung up, careful not to make a sound and followed his instinct to wherever it led him. Then he felt it; it was like someone was wrenching his brain from his head through either ear.  
  
"An intruder," said Yu-baaba sharply in his head, shaking his skull. "I've had a premonition. There is danger. Find it, Haku. Now."  
  
The searing pain in his head subsided and he collapsed back into the grass. Something inside him, though, forced him to obey. He flew down the stairs, hitting each step with the balls of his feet, careful to remain quiet. He crept closely under the window beside the door of the boiler room and gasped. It was completely open, tattered lavender curtains wafting in the willful breeze Then he heard the voices.  
  
"How did you find her? How did you know she would be here?" asked a hushed female voice.  
  
Haku's heart twisted in half; that horrible knot in his stomach tightened and he had to fight himself to keep from groaning. Chihiro.  
  
A low male voice answered her.  
  
"You see," he started. " Once the realm was plunged into darkness, I was told to leave immediately and find help. I came to Majou no Sekai in hopes that I would find the spirit of Unmei, the master of our fates, that she would read to me my destiny. I got a job working for the baker and continued my search during the nighttime-that's how I found you, obviously." He sounded almost flustered.  
  
Haku worked up the nerve to peer through the window, casting his eyes down upon the stunned face of Chihiro. Her thin eyebrows were raised in disbelief; her mouth was wide with shock.  
  
"Kaonashi?"  
  
Haku could see the back of the young man's head from where he sat on his heels; his black hair was in disarray, hood pulled down. The cloak he wore bore a golden symbol, like a pair of thin wings stretched for flight. The boy strained his head in order to see it closer, but in his attempt he tumbled through the open window and hit the hard ground with a loud "gah!"  
  
Sen gasped, rushing to see if Haku had suffered any injuries. The dragon boy paid no attention to his own pain; he simply stared up at Kiyumeku with gaping emerald eyes. The Sora warrior said nothing, but began to disintegrate slowly, like sand into the wind.  
  
"No!" cried Chihiro for the second time that day. "Kiyumeku, Haku is a friend."  
  
" He works for the bathhouse witch," said a wispy voice that seemed to be coming from all around them. "He is not to be trusted."  
  
The expression on Haku's solemn face was something close to amusement, but as he turned to Chihiro, it became serious again.  
  
"I heard a crash and had to see what it was," he said. "Yu-baaba warned me of an intruder."  
  
He reached out to Chihiro, taking her hand.  
  
"You have to get him out of her quickly, Chihiro." Haku paused to look up the empty staircase, then back to her eyes. "Before she sends every frog at Aburaya looking for him."  
  
She nodded, beginning to remember her name again.  
  
"First we have to find Lin"  
  
Haku shot her a blank look.  
  
"I'll explain later; we've really got to hurry."  
  
Chihiro collected the tray she'd used to carry Kamajii's dinner from the ground, slipped on the yellow sneakers she'd decided she might need, and looked all around.  
  
"Kiyimeku," she called. "Can you retain your invisibility for very long?"  
  
The wispy voice continued, rising and falling, seeming to swirl around them.  
  
"I am not invisible," he said. "I am the wind."  
  
Chihiro shivered, pulling the sleeves of her uniform over her.  
  
"Follow me," interrupted Haku. "You're going to have to trust me," he said, whipping his head around in every direction, expecting to see something.  
  
Silence.  
  
"He's going to take us to Kimiko," Chihiro told him soothingly. She was startled as he blinked into sight briefly, nodding, and faded out like a lantern light.  
  
Haku and Chihiro tried not to look suspicious as they hurried across the floors into the labyrinth that was the Aburaya. They turned corners, crossed doorways, and dodged frogs until arriving at the large entryway that contained the foreman, Chihiyaku's, large wooden desk.  
  
Haku held his hand out in a gesture that told the girl to stop behind him. She almost ran into him and he turned around, smiling slightly, then strutted to the foreman's desk in a generally arrogant manner. She recognized this attitude from the night before in the elevator and frowned, pulling her sleeves over her wrists. The constant wind around her was making her chilly, but at least she knew that Kiyumeku was still with them.  
  
"Chihiyaku," said Haku ominously.  
  
The frog looked petrified, breaking the tip of his quill, spilling ink all across his records.  
  
"Master Haku!" he cried, attempting to sop up the spilled ink with his uniform's sleeve. "What may I do for you today?"  
  
The aogaeru looked rather humorous with his arm stuck to the page of his records, endeavoring to bow.  
  
"Chihiyaku, where have you assigned Lin tonight?"  
  
The frog's thick jaw went slack and he fumbled over his words.  
  
"I-er-uh-she wasn't feeling very-um-well so she-well-went back to um-you know-her room."  
  
All the time that Chihiyaku stuttered, he was squirming uncomfortably; he knew Yu-baaba would object to giving employees nights off, but as much as Chihiyaku tried to hide it, he still had a heart.  
  
"Come on, Sen," Haku summoned her coldly and she followed. She could feel her ponytail flowing behind her as the wind trailed behind her like a scarf.  
  
When they reached the sliding door to the yuna's dormitory, Haku stopped and looked awkwardly toward Chihiro for a moment.  
  
"Um-er-maybe you should go and get her."  
  
She nodded, handing him the tray, and stepped through the doors, sneakers squeaking on the polished wooden floor. She had expected Lin to be in bed sleeping, but there seemed to be no one around. Suddenly, a thought came to her and she slid open the shoji that lead to the outside balcony. There she found Lin holding her gilded comb. She whipped her head around as soon as Chihiro stepped outside. The girl's puffy eyes were a telltale sign she'd been crying.  
  
"It's nothing, nothing," said Lin before her young apprentice could react. "Sometimes . . . I get homesick and don't know what I miss."  
  
She wiped her tears onto her sleeve and looked up at Sen's dirt-smudged face.  
  
"What do you remember about where you came from?" she asked.  
  
Lin sniffled a little.  
  
"I remember that this," she held up the comb to Sen, "was a gift from someone I loved very much." She tilted her head back and felt the wind rippling through her hair. "Someday, I'm going to go back."  
  
Chihiro opened her mouth to speak, but was completely startled by a voice all around her.  
  
"Kimiko," it said. "Kimiko, have you forgotten who you are?"  
  
Lin was up in a split second, whipping her head around, searching for the source of the voice.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked, terrified. Her eyes were roughly the size of the susuwatari down in the boiler room. She gasped when the warrior blinked into sight and extended his hand to her.  
  
Lin shrunk back and hit her head on the rice paper wall behind her, dropping her comb.  
  
"Kimiko, don't you remember?" he asked, stooping to pick it up for her. He ran his hand down the pattern on the handle, pointing to the center of the wings where a small star-like sign was visible. "The god of the wind, Kamisama no Kaze, he is the center of our power."  
  
He moved his hand down the grip over one wing, "and the sign of our tribe, the Sora, are the gilded wings of the Kamisama. He adjusted his grip on the comb, turning it around as she stared at it. Chihiro gasped as it became suspended in the air, slowly revolving in place. "Do you see this?" he asked her, stepping closer, "this is a sign that he is near."  
  
Lin was shaking as she slid down the wall to the ground, sobbing. He kneeled, taking her hands; she didn't look at him.  
  
"Kimiko, you must remember me . . . " he set the golden object at her feet and looked down. "It was I who gave this to you; It's me, Kiyumeku."  
  
Lin looked up at him, still sobbing. The expression on her face changed from completely blank to understanding within seconds.  
  
"Meku," she said, reaching for his hands, "I've missed you."  
  
He stared down at her in awe, like he hadn't expected her to remember at all.  
  
"I remember you and I remember the Sora," she said smiling like Chihiro had never seen her before. "Most of all I remember the time we spent together and how I had to leave you; it was the worst day of my life," Lin spat with a tone of remorse.  
  
"But I've found you again, Kimiko." Kiyumeku pulled her to her feet, embracing her. "You never have to worry again."  
  
As if all this wasn't enough excitement, the door of the balcony suddenly slid open to reveal a fearful-looking Haku, jade eyes panicked.  
  
"Yu-baaba's spotted us," he said to Chihiro, who was standing in the corner of the balcony trying not to hyperventilate. "You need to get out of here, and fast."  
  
He grabbed Chihiro gently by her shoulders and stared off the terrace.  
  
"I know a place we can go."  
  
The jade-eyed boy then promptly fell to his knees clutching his head as if it were about to explode. He fought himself not to cry out and looked up at Chihiro defiantly. The look of terror printed on her face was apparent and he pulled himself up to her.  
  
"How are we going to escape Yu-baaba?" she asked desperately, "she knows everything; if she can sense an intruder, how can we avoid her?"  
  
Haku grinned, though he suspected that it probably ended up looking rather like a grimace.  
  
"You leave that up to me."  
  
She still looked rather petrified.  
  
"Have a little faith, will you?" he asked playfully, as if this entire situation were hilarious. She frowned but nodded. "Turn around."  
  
Chihiro furrowed her brows.  
  
"Haku, if you're about to do something crazy . . ."  
  
He pushed her lightly back into the dormitory and summoned for Lin and Kiyumeku to follow. Once they were safely out of sight, he closed his eyes and tried to remember . . .  
  
A spark erupted within his mind, a flash of pink, a shimmer of silver, the churning resonance of rushing water, the echo of a voice in the distance. He felt himself beginning to change, expand. His neck broadened and extended itself upward; his eyes became almond shaped, moving to the sides of his face. His flesh was covered by a layer of scales. He became a slender silvery beast with a graceful tale and aqua-coloured mane, scales that glinted in the evening's pale light.  
  
"Haku, we don't have much time to waste," shouted an impatient Chihiro, sliding open the delicate shoji now exhibiting a hole from Lin's accident a few minutes previous. Haku turned his long neck in order to look upon her face, which was stricken with horror. Her already large brown eyes were enormous and her mouth a perfect 'o'. He was about to reassure her that it was he, but she relaxed as if she understood, and knew what she should do.  
  
"Lin! Kiyumeku!" she called. "Don't freak out; this is our only way to escape."  
  
Kiyumeku was presently draping the coal black cloak he was wearing over Lin so that it dragged the ground when she walked. He nodded solemnly to Chihiro and faded out; in response, the leaves that lay littered over the ground beside a small potted plant in the corner stirred in a circle, crackling with the draft. Chihiro looked to Lin, who pulled the large hood over her face, winked, and disappeared, blinking into sight, then blinking out again as if showing her friend that she was okay.  
  
Chihiro smiled and climbed onto Haku's back, seeing that he'd lowered himself so that he would be more at her level. The scales were softer than they looked, like the smooth surface of a seashell, fragile and delicate, but enough to withstand any hurricane.  
  
The sudden movement beneath her startled her. A flowing feeling was swift into her head, overtaking and surrounding her with a surreal sort of rush. The ground darted sharply away from her as she clutched to the aqua mane with all the strength she had. The vapour of the clouds misted her as Haku flitted above them, searching for the cover of the clouds to protect them. Chihiro let the little girl side of her out to stare down upon the seas that lay so far below. She glanced behind her and noticed that Lin and Kiyumeku had become visible once more and seemed to be almost dancing on the wind, moving gracefully like spirits. The smile seemed to crawl up Chihiro's throat and burst onto her lips. The girl took a chance and removed one hand from Haku's mane, waving at the two. They both smiled; Lin blew her a kiss playfully. Chihiro had never seen her so happy. She seemed complete. Chihiro frowned suddenly.  
  
"What's that behind us, Haku?" asked Chihiro quietly, pulling herself closer to his large ears. The dragon sniffed slightly and turned his head, careful to appear casual. The girl felt her hair begin to whip faster around her face; the wind grew quicker and the cold became intense. She clutched clumps of his mane in her balled up fists and buried her face in his opalescent scales as Haku flew higher. She could hear the scattered voices of Lin and Kiyumeku, frantic and loud.  
  
The sky seemed to grow darker as the Yu-bird descended upon them, crying its low moaning caw. Sen felt herself forgetting, like the bind of her contract was being renewed within her. She crumpled like a piece of cloth upon Haku's back. She watched the balcony on the high floors of Aburaya; there was a movement, quick like the beating of the Yu-bird's wings, a flash of light, and she felt herself falling. The girl squeezed shut her eyes and gave in to the plunging sensation she was feeling. Then she noticed him falling beside her. His jade eyes were frantic as he grasped for her hand, clutching it tightly as they fell. The forests below them were rapidly growing less distant. Sen pulled Haku closer to her, looking for his protection. He wrapped both arms around her and stared down at certain doom.  
  
Unexpectedly, the pair seemed to hit an invisible force, bouncing upward like a parachute and beginning to flutter over the fields like sheets of paper. Haku ruffled Sen's hair and she opened her fast-shut eyes to see him. Tendrils of his shoulder length hair were whipping about his face and his eyes shone the light reflected by the stars. She smiled and looked below them, how they both were walking on air.  
  
"It's Lin and Kiyumeku," he said, voicing her thoughts as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind an ear. "They're keeping us safe."  
  
Sen smiled, twirling away from him and back into his arms again while he laughed. Then, as he tucked his hands within hers, her smile faded.  
  
"But your dragon form," she said, furrowing an eyebrow.  
  
He stopped her as they came to a stop a few feet from the ground and Haku jumped, landing with a slight "umph" on the unnaturally green grass below. Sen followed, taking his hand and letting him guide her. She looked around and surveyed her surroundings.  
  
"Welcome to Swamp Bottom," said Haku with a rather forced half-smile.  
  
Sen frowned.  
  
"Yu-baaba . . ." she began, "she took your dragon form, didn't she?"  
  
Haku didn't answer her, for he was staring into the woods where the field stopped behind them. A light was approaching in the dark, bouncing like a falling star in the blackness. It was only then that Sen noticed Lin standing beside her. The younger girl took this opportunity to hug her friend with all that she had. Lin smiled broadly and squeezed Sen tight.  
  
Haku was still watching the light, which was approaching them rather rapidly now. They could all see now that it was a lantern post, obviously enchanted to escort strangers to its master's home. The jade-eyed boy looked the strange thing up and down twice before motioning for everyone to follow.  
  
The path through the forest was dark and wound through a dense canopy of thick trees. Sen spent most of the hike being startled by the sounds of extraordinary creatures she had never seen crawling near the path, crackling the leaves as they went.  
  
A large sign loomed over the four as they passed reading "Swamp Bottom." The lantern stopped abruptly, jumped about four feet into the air and attached itself to the sign, swaying in the wind; its squeaky joints creaked with every stir of the breeze. When Sen's eyes focused behind it, she could see a large wooden cabin looming in the distance. It was she who walked past Haku and up to the front porch. Haku gave her a warning glance with his bright eyes, luminous in the dark like beacons.  
  
"Who lives here?" asked Sen.  
  
Haku said nothing, but squeezed his eyes shut and brought his hands to his ears as if trying to keep his skull from flying apart.  
  
"Chihiro . . ." he called her. "Yu-baaba does not want us here. The witch who lives here is her enemy, her greatest opposition . . ."  
  
The door to the little cabin swung and a thin slice of light flung itself onto Haku's small frame like a spotlight. He blanched, but straightened up.  
  
"Her twin sister," he finished.  
  
Sure enough, the woman who sauntered out of the little cabin swinging a small lantern in her hand that showered them with shaking light greatly resembled the bathhouse witch. Somehow, though, this woman had a softer look about her. Perhaps it was the gentle expression on her face or the lighter shades of her clothing, but Chihiro immediately trusted the woman.  
  
"Ah, Kaonashi," she said, addressing the young man behind Lin.  
  
Sen noticed that he'd covered his face with that mask once more and pulled his cloak back over himself.  
  
"I've been expecting you."  
  
Kiyumeku seemed to be pulled by an invisible force as he glided forward to meet her, feet skimming the grass, sending a cold spray of dew scattering in the night. He touched down a few feet in front of her and bowed very low. Chihiro felt that she should do the same, but she noticed suddenly that her legs did not seem to be working.  
  
"I have been searching for you ever since the Kamisama no Kaze plunged our kingdom into darkness," he said formally.  
  
Chihiro gasped audibly; Haku put a reassuring arm around her and she shivered, still watching.  
  
The spirit of Unmei turned, then, and did something none of them expected: she bowed to Lin.  
  
"Irrashimase, Princess Kimiko! Your absence has worried your people for enough time."  
  
Lin bowed in return.  
  
"I had no choice," she said, straightening her uniform, which was now smudged with dirt and wrinkled, frayed at the cuffs.  
  
Sen and Haku exchanged astounded glances.  
  
Lin stepped forward in a very non-royal way to explain herself.  
  
"After my father's disappearance and my mother's death, I had to find a way to make peace between the Yi and the Sora. I traveled very far in order to find the Yi. When I did, they welcomed me and called me Kimiko Hime as if I were their princess, and brought me many gifts. When I refused them, they were bewildered and asked me what I'd come for, if not to rule them. I told them that peace was to be made between our tribes. They thanked me and thanked me for bringing this message to them. I, however, was confused. Why did they welcome our offer of peace so readily now, when we had been begging this for years?"  
  
Lin spread her arms all around her in a questioning manner and continued.  
  
"Their elder spoke to me in order to make me understand. 'We have fought your demon warriors for many years,' he said feebly. 'We are no longer able to keep our flame alive against your fervent wind.'"  
  
Lin through her hands up in the hair and scoffed. "What could I say to this? The demon warriors we had fought for so many years were not the peaceful Yi, who we'd thought were our enemies! I told the Yi that I was tired and they insisted that I stay the night, giving me their finest tents and clothes to sleep in. I slipped out in the middle of the night and tried to escape, but I was caught. They were convinced that I was only a demon warrior in the guise of a princess, coming to kill them all in their sleep. I escaped narrowly, without anything but my life. I didn't even know where I was! I don't remember what happened after that."  
  
The girl looked down to her feet.  
  
"But I ended up at the bathhouse with only limited memories and had no choice by to apply for a job."  
  
Haku's jaw was nearing the forest floor at this point in Lin's monologue. He remembered welcoming the tall girl into the bathhouse staff, informing her of her duties. She had been caustic and rude, with an attitude that was far greater than she seemed. He'd never dreamed that this girl could have been a princess from a far-away land. Chihiro was in a similar state, he could tell, by how tightly she gripped his arm.  
  
The Spirit of Unmei smiled at Lin, moving smoothly toward her, reaching out a large hand and holding Lin's quivering chin between her index finger and thumb.  
  
"Princess, don't cry. The teardrops you shed will only fall into the dirt and make mud; don't make your problems bigger than they are."  
  
Lin smiled a little, wiping a droplet from her eyes with her dirty sleeve. The witch turned to Chihiro and Haku, who stood in a small huddle, shivering.  
  
"Chihiro, little child, quite a predicament you're in, my dear," she said. "Trapped in a world that is not your own and now this." The Spirit clucked her tongue. "Well, come inside, everyone; we haven't got all night to stand out here and shiver, do we?"  
  
With that, the woman turned on her heels and ascended the steps onto her front porch and through the door. Chihiro looked up at Haku, who stared straight ahead with a mite of skepticism in his eyes, or maybe he just wondered why the Spirit of Unmei hadn't addressed him at all. Nevertheless, he followed her when she walked up the steps and entered the warm house.  
  
Chihiro paused in the doorway, letting the sights and smells sink into her. The cabin was larger than it looked; it was all one large room that contained very few things. It seemed that the Spirit of Destiny was a minimalist. On the stove lay a pot of simmering rice, which seemed very tempting to Chihiro after her excitement.  
  
"Come in," said the spirit, waving the door closed with a gesture of her hand. It shut with such force that Chihiro jumped. The witch then began to mill around the kitchen. Lin fell back to her young friend, who gave her an expectant glance.  
  
"How was I supposed to tell you?" she asked quietly with her eyes still fixed upon the witch, who was pouring rice into bowls. "I didn't know myself!"  
  
Chihiro laughed quietly.  
  
"It's okay."  
  
It was then that the Spirit set the bowls of rice on the table and placed chopsticks in them. The aroma was about to drive Chihiro into a state of madness when the witch smiled at her and said, "Chihiro, if you're hungry, dear, you should have some rice."  
  
She didn't need to be told twice. The other three tired travelers seemed equally happy to take advantage of such an opportunity. Haku must have been hungry because, when Chihiro looked over at him, he hadn't even bothered to look suspicious before tasting his food.  
  
The Spirit of Destiny went about bustling through the kitchen, pouring them all tea.  
  
"You may have noticed," she began, stirring Chihiro's tea with a chopstick and pushing it closer to her.  
  
The girl stared at it wide eyed for about two seconds before inhaling as much as she could manage.  
  
"You may have noticed," continued the spirit of Unmei, "that I bear a certain unfortunate resemblance to a certain crone you've met before."  
  
Haku snorted audibly at the statement. Lin gave him a rather dirty look and he straightened his face, continuing to sip his tea with a forced expression.  
  
"I understand that you may not have had the best impression on my twin sister so far," she explained, stirring the contents of the pot on the stove."  
  
Chihiro soothingly tapped Haku's hand, which lay twitching on the table as he restrained himself from speaking.  
  
"My name is Zeniiba," she continued, smiling still, "and you all may call me granny."  
  
It was a strange request, surely, but Chihiro smiled anyway, committing it to memory. The woman seemed to have a good heart, and Chihiro trusted her.  
  
After they had all eaten their fill and taken care to discuss nothing of any importance at all, Chihiro and Lin retired upstairs on an extremely comfortable futon while Haku and Kiyumeku rested on the floor in the living room downstairs.  
  
Chihiro didn't think that sleep would come easily after the day that she'd had. She tossed and turned a few times before Lin sat up with a jolt and smacked her with a heavily stuffed, but still reasonably firm pillow.  
  
"I don't see how that was necessary," Chihiro whined, rubbing her left eye. Lin snorted incredulously and sat up more.  
  
"If you'd been tossing and turning any more, you'd have pushed me right off the bed."  
  
Lin held her index finger in a menacing manner to the little girl's nose.  
  
"And I'll warn you," she advised, "that I am not someone that you should wake up."  
  
Chihiro laughed, pushing some mussed hair from her face.  
  
"No, I wouldn't imagine a princess would be."  
  
The dark haired girl gave a dry laugh that bordered on bitter and turned over on the futon, causing it to shake dangerously.  
  
"I'm not a princess anymore, Chihiro."  
  
Chihiro wrinkled her nose in dislike to the statement.  
  
"You'd abandon your people like that?"  
  
Lin sat up again, her thin face fierce.  
  
"I already have, Chihiro; I abandoned them and they were plunged into darkness!"  
  
Hot tears began to pour down the older girl's cheeks; the shutters of the window next to the bed flapped open abruptly as Lin lost her control of the wind.  
  
"Haven't you heard the legends? I know you have," Lin hissed accusingly. Her face softened abruptly. "I have, too."  
  
The brown-eyed child thought for a moment.  
  
"But Lin," she said, "it wasn't your fault that you left! You're going back. You're going to save them. Zeniiba will help; she'll guide us in what we do."  
  
Lin seemed to pause to think for a moment. She wiped her damp cheeks and lay down, pulling the sheets to her chin.  
  
"I hope you're right, kid, I hope you're right," she repeated in a chant, traveling in whatever thoughts she might be having.  
  
*.¸¸.·´¨`»*«´¨`·. ¸¸.*.¸¸.·´¨`»*«´¨`·. ¸¸.*.¸¸.·´¨`»*«´¨`·. ¸¸.*.¸¸.·´¨`»*«´¨`·. ¸¸.*  
  
The morning broke like it ended: before they knew it. Chihiro suffered, as usual, from a dream.  
  
She was a Sora Sky warrior on the verge of a battle. As the troops rode forward on a red elk, she could see the sun rising and smell the blood of the soldiers already fallen. An arrow was fired at her, but she was too quick; within a split second, she had ducked and her arrow arm was pulled back, tense and waiting. Her pulse pounded with blood inside her head and she looked behind her at her tribe members, but they weren't her tribe members; they were yuna, slug spirits of the Aburaya urging the elks to her heels, speed increasing. Chihiro broke into a cold gallop, increasing her leg pressure on the creature, edging farther and farther from the herd of shrieking slugs. She came to the top of a very tall hill and paused for a moment, looking back, then looking forward once more. The yuna appeared to be fading into the background. In front of her lay two paths now: one looked inviting and bright, clean and welcoming; the other path looked slow and arduous, steep as if it wound up a mountainside. She noticed, though, that someone was standing at the mouth of the path. He was dressed in white and appeared to be motioning to her. She squinted and cocked her head, trying to get a better look. There came a noise, suddenly, from behind, and the red elk she rode spooked and launched both of them over the edge of the steep hill. She was flying now, into oblivion.  
  
Then she woke up. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and sat up, noticing that Lin had gone. The early sunlight drifted in through the open window, and she began to notice the scent that had wafted in from downstairs. Chihiro slipped on her yellow sneakers, which clashed very badly with her bathhouse uniform, and descended the steps, peeking over the railing as she went.  
  
She expected to see everyone downstairs, but instead she was treated to the image of an empty kitchen. A pan of something that smelled incredible was stirring itself on the stove. Chihiro jumped a step and landed lightly on the hard wooden floor. She looked both ways, right then left, and behind her just in case. Her small brow furrowed, the girl followed the sound of voices to the front door. Her hand curled over the handle, she pulled and peeked just one eye outside. Lin and Kiyumeku were both sitting on cushions on the front porch in front of the spirit of Unmei, who was dressed rather regally in purple. The gem on her forehead sparked and glinted as if alive.  
  
"Chihiro, dear, if you don't mind, come out and close the door," murmured Zeniiba, though her eyes were closed. Chihiro did as she was told; she sat on the front mat, curiously watching. Lin's face was worried and Kiyumeku was clutching her hand very tightly, frowning fervently. Zeniiba appeared to be concentrating, shaking something in her hand that rattled like pebbles. In a split second, the frail lids of her eyes opened to reveal a blank blueness, matching the pale blue of the sky that day. She seemed trancelike and cold.  
  
"Kimiko Hime and Kiyumeku . . ."  
  
Zeniiba shuddered convulsively, her blue eyes lighting like a storm. They flickered and crackled with lightning-like streaks. Lin buried her face in Kiyumeku's cloak. His dark eyes appeared nervous, shifty, and he remained stiff.  
  
The spirit sat up from her hunched position, trancelike and solemn.  
  
" In order to restore your kingdom to its former greatness," she intoned, "you must first restore the kingdom of Yi to its position. At this point in time, they are still ravaged by the very demons your kingdom was devastated by. They are holding onto their territory, but only just."  
  
The spirit of unmei took a jagged, raspy breath and seemed to draw back the information from the back of her mind.  
  
"You must find out the cause of these demon attacks and stop them. This is your unmei, your destiny."  
  
And, with her final words, Zeniiba collapsed onto the wooden planks of her front porch, rasping heavily over the sound of Lin's sobs. The princess' slow weeping shook her entire body. The Sora warrior beside her held her tightly, soothing her in the motions of torrential wind around them.  
  
Chihiro could hardly see, for her brown hair whipped around her face so quickly that her view was blocked. And then it was calm.  
  
When the wind cleared, Zeniiba was nowhere to be seen, and Lin was at her feet, Kiyumeku staring up at her in disbelief.  
  
Chihiro shuddered to herself, thinking that perhaps it was time to start calling her Kimiko hime.  
  
The princess' clothing had transformed from the worn garb of the bathhouse to the crimson gowns of a person of royal blood. Her long hair was swept back into an elaborate way by the golden comb that she had kept for so long. The wind rippled around her, creating a rather dramatic effect, blowing back her hair and the long robes as if she were some supernatural creature. She smiled at Chihiro, who stood at the door like a statue. The cherry blossoms blew through the trees to the steady rhythm of the crackling leaves in the slow silence. Princess Kimiko of the Sora tribe looked up at the sky; the edges of her mouth twitched upwards.  
  
"I am ready to embrace my destiny." 


End file.
